The Shadow of the Rope

by E.W. Hornung

An all-time classic of romantic suspense and lurking evil...

Genres: Mystery, Gothic

Paperback

First published January 1, 1902

About the author

Ernest William Hornung known as Willie, was an English author, most famous for writing the Raffles series of novels about a gentleman thief in late Victorian London.

In addition to his novels and short stories Hornung wrote some war verse, and a play based on the Raffles stories was produced successfully. He was much interested in cricket, and was "a man of large and generous nature, a delightful companion and conversationalist".

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really 3 and a half stars. I liked the end to the main mystery, but found the shift in telling the story through different characters a little distracting.

[Reem Eisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the twists and surprises, wanted more of the ending but all in all discovering who done it and how was very interesting. I would recommend it to everyone I know, lovely read.

[Katie and Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing storyline with many twists and turns. Hornung writes characters so wonderfully with many nuances.

[Daria · Rating 3 out of 5]

5/5 for faerie queene detail and the middle of a story like a modern novelist sentence

10000/5 for book clubs and friendship

3/5 for plot because - come on - after that brilliant set up?!!? More intrigue pls

[Timothy Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is it a Gothic romance or a tragedy?

You won't know until the last few minutes.

The Librivox recording is excellent.

[Phil Clymer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A love story built around a murder mystery. Good plot twist I didn't see coming. Well worth reading.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic British murder/mystery written in 1906; notable for portraying women in a rather modern, favorable light, showing concern for their unequal position in society.
Rachel Minchin is charged for the murder of her husband and yes the jurors are all men. Well structured plot with obvious talent for mystery and surprise. Loved the power of words.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good old fashioned mystery written in 1906. Rather archaic English; I had to stop and reread a few times to get the meaning. For me that added to the reading. Interesting twists and turns until the end.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting plot, but the language is so archaic and ponderous that I found it very hard to read.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strong start and a nice twist or two.

[Sanchita Sarin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have no idea why this book was raved about!! Too disappointing!